"Blackbird" Opens at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater

"Blackbird" opened last night at the Victory Gardens Theatre starring William Petersen and Mattie Hawkinson. This is British playwright David Harrower's raw and provocative two person drama about the destructive cycle of desire and illicit love. VictoryGardens Artistic Director and all-around good guy, Dennis Zacek, directs "Blackbird" which won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, which is Britain's equivalent of the Tony.

I admit I am not a fan of dramas and prefer to escape in light hearted musicals like "Mary Poppins" but I must say this play gave me goose bumps and kept me on the edge of my seat. The Associated Press says it is "a fascinating and unnerving 90 minute cat and mouse tale of revenge and sexual intrigue, with genuine theatricality and undeniable shock value." I concur wholeheartedly. The play has no intermissions during the 90 minutes and when the last heart breaking words are uttered, you don't realize that the time has flown by!

"Blackbird" is the British vernacular for "jailbird" and the story revolves around the awkward reunion of Ray and Una 15 years after a passionate affair when he was 40 and she was a minor. In the end, "Blackbird" will leave the audience stunned. I promise.

Performances run through August 9th at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $30- $58 and can be purchased by calling the box office (773) 871-3000 or online at www.victorygardens.org